Mention digital image editing and it’s likely that the first word you’ll hear is Photoshop. It’s become a general term, like Xerox. For many, the full-blown version of Photoshop (currently at CS5) is either overkill, with features that you’ll never need or use, or just too expensive. Adobe realizes this and has produced a more streamlined version for years. This “entry-level” version of Photoshop, named Elements, is priced like a basic editing program, but filled with features you’d expect to pay quite a bit more for. The latest version, Elements 9 has added several new features that photographers have been requesting for years, making this release an even more attractive option, and further blurring the line between CS and Elements features.

What’s New
There are normally a couple of new features in each release that make upgrading an attractive option for current users, and in this regard Elements 9 adds some interesting items in the sharing area, and a major feature that has been requested for years. Let’s take a look at what is new in Version 9.

Now on Version 11, it’s hard to imagine that Photoshop can continue to make large changes. It seems that just about everything but the kitchen sink is already in the application, but once again Adobe has found ways to take a mature application and improve it. In this overview, I’ll give you a first look at the new features you’ll find in CS4.

Adobe's Photoshop application is the standard for many digital photographers. Heck, it's even a verb now, as in "that looks Photoshopped." But, at $500 and up, depending on the packaging, Photoshop CS3 is overkill for many users. Recognizing that the majority of photographers don't want to be spending their time learning a complex program, Adobe...

The latest version of Lightroom is coming into full use as more and more plug-ins and export options come into play. This month Jon Canfield takes a look at the essential ingredients; next month we have another opinion about the latest version of Lightroom that takes a different point of view.

I decided to take a look at two new AiO devices, the Canon PIXMA MP980 and the HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One to see how they did with photo printing and scanning—two functions that any photographer needs.

Canon’s 13x19”-sized printers, the PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II and PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II, have had a longer life than most, but have been replaced with two new models that are similar to the PIXMA PRO-1, introduced over a year ago. New features on both the pigment-ink PRO-10 and dye-ink PRO-100 include Wi-Fi and AirPrint compatibility, a new plug-in to make printing easier, and a refined inkset.

Canon's new flat-bed scanner, the CanoScan 9950F boasts an impressive feature set that will appeal to photographers who either shoot film or have a collection of film that is waiting to be converted to digital. In this review I'll take a look at how well the scanner performs and whether it earns a place in the digital darkroom.

The introduction about a year ago of 12-color pigment printers by Canon was a major addition to the fine art and photo printing area. No longer did only Epson own this category. For the first round, Canon brought out the 17" iPF5000, 44" iPF8000, and 60" iPF9000 wide format printers. Using a new LUCIA pigment inkset, these printers offered long archival life...

One of the main problem areas for many digital photographers is getting a print
that is reasonably close to what you see on screen. Assuming that you have a
calibrated display (and if you don't, stop reading this article and profile
your monitor!) the problem may lie in your printer settings. It's all
too common to find that someone having problems is actually managing the printer
settings twice - once in the print driver and once in their image editing software.

It's clear that color management is a hot topic, and products that provide accurate results with a minimum amount of fuss or techno-jargon are in high demand. Two new products fit this need perfectly, plus there is one that handles the needs of the more advanced user.

Pantone, along with GretagMacbeth, has brought out the smallest display calibration device...